@samdagher
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Middle East researcher, author & ex-journalist. Currently UAE-based consultant with @EurasiaGroup focusing on Gulf geoeconomics. Views mine. 🇺🇸/🇱🇧/🇫🇷/🇪🇸
United Arab Emirates 🇦🇪
Joined June 2009
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Personal News: Excited to join @EurasiaGroup's Middle East & North Africa team as a consultant, collaborating with the multi-talented @FirasMaksad and other top-notch colleagues and experts. My focus will be on geoeconomics & long-term investments and transformations in the Gulf Arab region (Photo: Blue Eye Picture, Dubai)
Sam Dagher retweeted
My piece for @arabnews "The #Houthis can hurt #SaudiArabia but they cannot break it" arab.news/nmkhr
Sam Dagher retweeted
Saudi Arabia to postpone in-person ‘Davos in the desert’ event after Houthi attacks ft.trib.al/EUCgHHQ
Sam Dagher retweeted
UAE President receives Prince Khalid bin Salman Al Saud
#WamNews
wam.ae/a/c2szucy
Sam Dagher retweeted
This is significant. #Saudi is aware the #Houthis don't just follow #Iran's instructions and have their own goals. They've also been pushing for dialogue with Iran and de-escalation.
Publicly attributing Houthi attacks to #Iran - shows a hardening of their stance.
Important: #SaudiArabia speaks publicly for first time about #Iran’s role in Houthi attacks on kingdom. “We think escalation by Houthis at this later stage of conflict is encouraged by Iran," says @Rayedkrimly, deputy minister for public diplomacy at MOFA pbs.org/newshour/world/saudi…
Important: #SaudiArabia speaks publicly for first time about #Iran’s role in Houthi attacks on kingdom. “We think escalation by Houthis at this later stage of conflict is encouraged by Iran," says @Rayedkrimly, deputy minister for public diplomacy at MOFA pbs.org/newshour/world/saudi…
Sam Dagher retweeted
china closing the gap w/ american ai models
the future increasingly looks like a world where china leads in ai models, the united states leads in semiconductors. messy…
Sam Dagher retweeted
Over the past two decades, successive crises have reinforced the global significance of the Gulf states. The upcoming IISS Strategic Dossier examines the multifaceted implications of the 2026 United States–Israel war with Iran for the foreign policies and defence and economic priorities of the Gulf states.
The Gulf states have not reacted to the war by doubling down on their collective defence under the Gulf Cooperation Council’s (GCC). Rather, they have sought to strengthen or create new alliances and defence and security partnerships outside the bloc.
Read the chapter preview ahead of the dossier's publication on 30 October 2026: go.iiss.org/4yr5FT4
IISS Manama Dialogue
30 October–1 November 2026
#IISS_MD26 | go.iiss.org/MD26
Sam Dagher retweeted
Very pleased to announce the publication in 2 weeks at the Manama Dialogue of an IISS Strategic Dossier edited by the great @HTAlhasan and the less great @emile_hokayem examining the geopolitical, defence and geoeconomic dimensions of the US-Israel war with Iran, with contributions of an excellent IISS team of analysts, editors and designers.
Over the past two decades, successive crises have reinforced the global significance of the Gulf states. The upcoming IISS Strategic Dossier examines the multifaceted implications of the 2026 United States–Israel war with Iran for the foreign policies and defence and economic priorities of the Gulf states.
The Gulf states have not reacted to the war by doubling down on their collective defence under the Gulf Cooperation Council’s (GCC). Rather, they have sought to strengthen or create new alliances and defence and security partnerships outside the bloc.
Read the chapter preview ahead of the dossier's publication on 30 October 2026: go.iiss.org/4yr5FT4
IISS Manama Dialogue
30 October–1 November 2026
#IISS_MD26 | go.iiss.org/MD26
Sam Dagher retweeted
ما الذي يجعل جسراً في الإمارات أو السعودية أو عُمان أو باقي دول مجلس التعاون هدفاً مشروعاً للانتقام من ضربة تتلقاها إيران؟ وبأي حق تُحمَّل دول الجوار وشعوبها ثمن مواجهة لم تخترها، ولا تملك قرار إشعالها أو إيقافها؟
التهديد باستهداف منشآت الخليج ابتزاز سياسي واضح؛ على دول المنطقة أن تحمي إيران من تبعات صراعاتها، وإلا تحولت هي نفسها إلى ساحة حرب. وكأن سيادة هذه الدول وأمن شعوبها ومصالحها أوراق مباحة تملك طهران حرقها كلما ضاقت بها الخيارات. فكيف يمكن الحديث عن أمن إقليمي مشترك، بينما يتم التلويح بالمنشآت الخليجية كأهداف، ويُراد تسوية الخلاف مع واشنطن فوق أراضي الجيران وعلى حساب استقرارهم؟
هذه التهديدات لا تبني ثقة ولا تفرض احتراماً، هى تكشف سبباً إضافياً يدفع دول الخليج إلى تعزيز دفاعاتها وتوسيع شراكاتها العسكرية. وقبل أن تعترض طهران على ذلك، عليها أن تواجه السؤال الذي تهرب منه؛ ما الذي يجعل الجوار معها مصدراً دائماً للخوف والقلق؟ لا يمكنها أن تطالب جيرانها بالثقة، ثم تهددهم ضمناً بأنهم سيدفعون الثمن كلما اشتدت أزمتها مع الآخرين.
🔵 نقلت نشرة «جريان» الأمنية الإيرانية أن إيران أدرجت جسوراً في 7 دول ضمن أهدافها المحتملة في «الساعة صفر».
تشمل القائمة: الكرمل وأيالون (إسرائيل)، الملك فهد ووادي لبن (السعودية)، الشيخ زايد وإنفينيتي (الإمارات)، لوسيل (قطر)، الشيخ جابر (الكويت)، الشيخ حمد (البحرين)، معابر صحار (عمان)، وعبدون (الأردن).
أي هجوم على البنية التحتية الإيرانية قد يُقابل بإجراءات انتقامية ضد ممرات حيوية، ما يزيد اضطرابات النقل والتجارة الإقليمية.
🔶 لم استطع التاكد من صحة المعلومات إلا انها نُشرت مع خريطة باللغة الإنجليزية، ما يعزز فرضية أنها رسالة للجانب الأمريكي.
“The administration is looking under every rock it can to try to force down fuel prices ahead of the elections, even if these policies would only have a marginal effect,” said Bob McNally, a former energy adviser to George W Bush and president of Rapidan Energy
giftarticle.ft.com/giftartic…
The Future of the US AI “Stack” in the Middle East mei.edu/events/the-future-of…
Virtual Briefing Series | Riyadh’s Yemen Dilemma: Allies, Risks and Regional Stakes youtu.be/Ki9qAq3JJB4?is=vd9i…
“A Hezbollah official and a Lebanese security source told Reuters that the explosives seized in the car last week were intended to be used in explosive drones targeting Israeli troops” reuters.com/world/middle-eas…
Houthi rebels appeared to have attacked the headquarters of Saudi Aramco after a Saudi Arabia-led coalition launched air strikes on Sana’a, the Yemeni capital held by the Iran-backed militants
giftarticle.ft.com/giftartic…
Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman: “The terrorist Houthi militia will face the consequences of its crimes and heinous attacks” #SaudiArabia #Iran #Yemen
Air strikes, most likely Saudi, against fuel storage facility in Houthi controlled Sanaa. Need to watch what the Iran-backed group will do now.
Ships in Hormuz strait hit by worst spate of attacks since start of war via @FT
giftarticle.ft.com/giftartic…
Sam Dagher retweeted
🚨 Breaking: Saudi-led coalition says it intercepted ballistic missile launched by Houthis towards Riyadh
Sam Dagher retweeted
People wonder why Saudi Arabia cannot stop every missile from penetrating its defenses. Yet Israel, with a tiny territory compared with the Kingdom and some of the most advanced missile defenses in the world, still needed American forces to help intercept incoming missiles. Even then, some got through. Expecting a country the size of Saudi Arabia to intercept every missile is simply unrealistic. No defense can guarantee complete protection.
Trump weighs action against Houthis after Riyadh airport attack foxnews.com/video/6406659781… #FoxNews
“Having American forces on your soil does not beef up your security,” said @jongchoiysu, South Korea’s former vice minister of foreign affairs, at the @TrendsRA security conference in Abu Dhabi. He called on Gulf Arab states to do what his country—home to a large contingent of US forces for decades—did by building up their homegrown defense capabilities and relying more on themselves. Both #UAE and #SaudiArabia are forging deeper defense and security ties with Seoul
